E.C. Trice: State Trooper

I was a state trooper on criminal law. I've worked on a lot of them
murders. Mostly we had investigators for that but it was part of our work
to enforce all criminal laws. We had jurisdiction everywhere except
government property.

When I went to work you couldn't hardly buy a job. The depression was
around 1931, 32, 33. They (the State Police) were going to hire a few new
ones. Thats when I applied. I was married then, too, I needed a job.

Wasn't but about 40,000 people I think at that time in Fairfax County.
Very few stores very few filling stations, nothin' but woods. Hybla
Valley Stores - all those was an airport. A good friend of mine was
running it to teach pilots. Then there was one up here where Beacon Mall
is. The Dixie Pig was just a small building, just a sandwich place. In
later years, a friend of mine bought that and its been enlarged.
Everything's been enlarged on Route 1. These buildings around here,
wasn't a thing here when I came up here in 1935. This nice old lady, Miss
Quander, -she knows.

They were waterducks. If anybody drowned, we'd call in the Arnold boys.
I know one night, back in '39, I got a call that a car had gone off old
Route 1 into Hunting Creek. I hurried on down there, caught a fella
walkin up the bank I said, "Is anybody else down there?" and he
says, "Yes, there's four more down there." He rolled the window
down and got on top of the car and then he came on to the bank. The
Arnold boys, that's when they came. This was in the evening. I call it
supper time. They couldn't do nothin through the night but I think they
found the rest of em, a couple in the car.

I just enjoy people. I've been dealing with them all my life. We were
very active in Citizens meetings at that time. I know at Groveton we
bought street signs. We had 'em made and paid for 'em and they were
selling them through the Citizen Meetings Association.

This whole thing is changed - up there where I live on Collard Street -
that was all a field. We've been here a long lime.